Chapter 4

Danny tried to reposition the sun visor against the rising sun coming from the car's right as they drove onto a bridge out of Kentucky. He felt like they had already been on the same road for most of the morning only to remind himself he was going to be on interstate 71 most of the day. He grabbed the old blue travel coffee mug from the cup holder hanging from the window only to be reminded it was empty. "Here, can you put this somewhere else?" Danny asked, holding the cup to his mother in the passenger seat. "I think I've tried to drink air three times now."

Maddie took the cup, reaching behind him to sit it on the floorboard of the back seat, as she said, "We need to start thinking about breakfast."

"After Cincinnati," Danny pleaded, his knuckles tightening as he gave a quick glance towards the sun. They were started to get into the morning traffic and, even thought it was a Sunday morning, it was still fourth of July weekend.

"Get in the right lane," Maddie ordered as they got to the end of the bridge.

Danny bit his tongue, flicking on the turn signal as he checked again before changing lanes to follow the signs for Columbus as they started driving through Cincinnati. He followed the exit, changing the sun visor as they headed towards the sun, and noticed a football stadium passed the downtown exit. "Hey, there's the Bangles' stadium," he pointed out.

"Do you know if we've still got Clark?" Maddie asked.

"I don't see why we would've gotten rid of him," Danny pointed out. He didn't keep up with many sports but he was a product of his home being in Indiana so he was a fan of the Colts. He gave his mom a side glance, keeping his head pointed towards the road, and asked, "You thinking about getting his jersey?"

"I need a replacement," Maddie pointed out. "Remember last Super Bowl?"

"I, uh, wasn't there," Danny admitted. "I was dealing with the aftermath of a ghost." A silence filled the little red Corolla as Danny followed the signs for interstate 71.

"Sorry," Maddie tried.

They drove into a tunnel, Danny grounding his teeth as he realized he wasn't expecting to drive through a tunnel under the city. The tunnel ended up being short, letting him release the air he had inadvertently held, before he tried to find something else they could talk about. "Uhm, which lane do I need?" Danny settled with as an entry ramp added itself to the three lanes he was in the middle of.

Maddie checked the printout in her lap as she said, "Stay in this one. We're on 71 until Columbus, unless you see a food sign." She leaned over and asked, "How's gas?"

"Half a tank," Danny said, glancing at the dashboard. "We just stopped for gas a bit ago."

"When we find breakfast, I'd like us to get gas," Maddie said, sitting back in the passenger seat.

"There's a cheap gas station just off of exit 45," a voice said from the back seat.

"Hey! No ghost hitchhikers!" Danny exclaimed, looking over his shoulder to take in the ghost sitting buckled in the center of the back seat.

"Danny! Eyes to the road!" Maddie ordered, getting Danny to do as he was told only to find he had drifted a bit into the right lane. Danny quickly corrected himself, glad no one was in that lane, before looking in the rear view mirror to take in the blonde haired ghost with a white aura similar to his own. It's white skin and yellow clothes made it a strange looking ghost from what he was used to.

Maddie turned in her chair and asked the ghost, "Do you know who's car you're in, ghost?"

"Yes," the ghost said, its voice androgynous. "Maddie and Danny Fenton, both ghost hunters. Call me Zad. Hope you don't mind me riding with you for a bit."

"Are we going through your haunt?" Danny asked.

"Not per say," Zad offered. "I try to travel the world but I wanted to meet the hero of Earth and his mother."

"Were you at the pole?" Danny asked, surprised he couldn't place the ghost.

"No, I – like the observants- weren't allowed to be there," Zad admitted. "They because of their beliefs, I because of my boss."

"Ghosts have bosses?" Maddie asked.

"Some do," Zad said with a smile. "Mine gave me the chance to come here and I still say we should take exit 45. It's about half an hour from here but the gas is cheap and right next door is a little diner with good breakfast."

"What town is it by?" Maddie asked as she turned back around in her seat. She started unfolding the map, laying it out across her lap and the dashboard in front of her.

"Just west of Wilmington," Zad informed. "The exit'll spit us out on route 73."

"So how far do you need to go?" Danny asked.

"Pardon?"

"Well, you are a hitchhiker," Danny pointed out.

"Once you get back onto 71, I'll probably have to leave," Zad informed. "It is strange to ride in one of these."

"Oh, in a car you mean?" Danny asked, glancing in the rear view mirror to see the ghost looking out of the side windows with amusement on its face. "I think I prefer flying," Danny admitted, looking back at the road.

"You're the one that offered to drive," Maddie reminded.

"Because you wouldn't let me fly us," Danny retorted.

"You wouldn't be filling out your driving miles that way," Maddie said, picking up the road course work book she had beside her with a pen attached to hold it open on the page she referred to. "With this trip, you'll be done with this before we get back to Amity Park."

"All of this because I want my driver's license," Danny mumbled.

"It's good to get your license," Zad tried. "Every once in a while you've got to be a normal teenager." The ghost paused a moment before adding, "Well, as normal as you can."

"Thanks, I think," Danny said, unsure if the backseat ghost was trying to be helpful or not.

"Sorry, that came out weird, didn't it?" Zad asked. "I meant that in the best possible way. You, your family, your friends, even your town have been touched by a broader understanding of ghosts. The Earth as a whole is coming to terms that there is more there than they can see. And I hope it all continues in a positive direction."

"Zad, I'm curious," Maddie started with, folding the map so it only showed Wilmington. "How long have you been a ghost?"

"A very long time," Zad admitted with a laugh. "I think you would refer to me as one of the ancients. My people came into being about the same time as the Observants."

"Oh, so do you know Clockwork?" Danny asked.

"We work together sometimes," Zad admitted. "He was how I learned about you, Danny."

"I don't know why it's weird to think of Clockwork having friends," Danny mumbled more to himself.

"We are all social creatures," Zad said.

"You said your people," Maddie said, her voice thoughtful. "Does that mean you have a part of the Ghost Zone to call home?"

"No, my people claim another realm," Zad explained.

"Another?" Maddie echoed.

"One day you will learn there are many levels to reality," Zad tried to offer. "Right now, knowing about two is enough."

Danny watched a semi passing them in the fast lane, getting him to double check they were still going the speed limit as the right land merged with his, as his mind tried to process the idea of more levels to reality. The fact that there was more than this and the Ghost Zone didn't surprise him, but he hadn't really thought that there would be more to it all.

"Oh, there's the exit," Zad said, sitting forward to point between the front seats at Exit 45's first sign.

"What? It hasn't been half an hour," Danny said, steeling a glance at the clock as he flicked on his turn signal. Registering the clock now read 6:44, he got onto the exit and slowed down.

"Wow, it has," Maddie said with a laugh, noticing what he did. "Too bad the whole drive can't go by that fast."

"Turn right at the light," Zad ordered.

Danny followed the off ramp up to a light, slowing to a stop at the red light as he looked left and flicked on the right turn signal. Seeing no one coming their way he pulled out onto the street and quickly laid eyes on the gas station Zed was talking about.

"I thought you said the gas was cheap," Maddie said.

"Cheap for the area," Zad tried. "Sorry."

Danny pulled up to a pump and turned the car off before sitting back in the driver seat with relief. He closed his eyes, resting his head on the head rest only to open his eyes at his mother's voice.

"Here, your turn."

Danny raised his head and noticed his mother handing him her credit card. He took a deep breath and took the card, releasing his seat belt with the other hand. He got out of the car and looked back at the gas cap, glad he had gotten closer this time than he had at the first gas station. He flicked the cover open only to realize he forgot the key to unlock the cap. Stepping back up to the driver door, he poked his head through the still rolled up window and held out his hand, asking, "Can you hand me the keys?"

"Wondering when you'd notice it," Maddie said, the keys already in her hand as she handed them to her son. "Be careful doing things like this."

"We're out in the middle of nowhere, Ohio," Danny retorted, glancing out the windshield to see only two trucks at the building next door with a red sign on its roof. Not seeing anyone outside, he pulled himself out of the glass and returned to getting gas into the car.

As he stood there with his hand on the pump he looked around. A BP with gas only a couple of cents more was across the street next to what looked like a rundown red and white building. Farther down the street it looked like a town might start up, but he couldn't tell for certain against the sun still hanging in the east.

The pump bumped as the gas stopped flowing, getting him to release the trigger and put it back, remembering to tell the machine he needed a receipt. Grabbing the paper, he locked back up the gas cap and closed it up before getting back into the driver seat. "Here," Danny said, offering the card and receipt back to his mother. "Hey Zad, what does the place next door have?"

"I like their pancakes," Zad offered as Danny buckled himself back in. "Their hashbrowns are really good, too."

"I keep forgetting ghosts can eat," Maddie said, more to herself.

Danny put the key back in the ignition and turned the car on, giving a quick check to his right before pulling them out of the Marathon Gas Station. He stopped at the street and flicked the turn signal on as he waited for a van before turning towards the next building on the road.

"Some ghosts have to eat," Zad informed. "The yetis of the Far Frozen are the first that come to mind you would recognize."

"Even ghosts like Skulker can eat, Mom," Danny offered, slowing down as he flicked the turn signal back on again. He turned down the street, aiming for the entry way into the dinner's gravel parking lot when a jacked up yellow truck appeared out of nowhere. He heard his mother call out his real name as he quickly made the car intangible, knowing the front fender should be under the large tires as he slammed on the breaks. The car cleared the tires as both vehicles came to a stop, Danny releasing the power but not the steering wheel as he felt his eyes bug out.

A skinny man jumped out of the truck and ran to the driver side window of the Corolla, panic on his face.

Danny released the wheel and put the car in park before cranking down the window.

"Are y'all alright?" the man asked, leaning down to check the three out. "I didn't see you there until I was sure I was rolling over you!"

"I'm sorry," Maddie said, unbuckling so she could get out of the car. She shut the door and walked around the front of the car, looking at the nose for damage. "I'm teaching my son to drive. Is your truck alright? I think our car is fine."

"I think so," the man said, looking over his shoulder at his truck. "I don't think we actually hit each other, but boy, it had to only be a hair away."

"Sorry about that, sir," Danny called out, getting the man to turn back to him and the small red car.

"All's good, just keep your eye out," the man cautioned, opening his truck door. "I could've squashed you all like a bug."

Maddie got back in the passenger seat as the man got back in his truck, the engine roaring to life before he pulled out onto the street.

"Sorry," Danny tried, putting the car back in drive to pull it up to park beside the building.

"We should've been squashed," Maddie pointed out as Danny killed the engine. "Remember, there's more to a car than when you're flying on your own. This car's rather small, about the same size as the Spector Speeder, but it's still bigger than just you in the air."

Danny rolled back up the window as he pulled the keys out of the ignition, biting his tongue. He noticed his mother's hands shaking as she gathered the papers that had fallen to her floorboard, realizing the scare he had given her.

"Nothing worse than what you did to your father, huh Maddie?" Zad asked with the hint of a laugh as they unbuckled themselves.

Maddie let out a laugh, holding to the papers as she was about to sit them on the dashboard. "He wouldn't let me forget," she said. Smiling she turned to Danny and added, "When I was learning, I accidently left the parking brake on. We made it down to town from their old house before we figured out where all the smoke was coming from." She turned around to look at their ghost hitchhiker and asked, "How'd you know about that?"

"My people have kept an eye on as many families as there are members," Zad admitted. "We help out where we can, like I am right now. Now let's get some breakfast."

Danny unbuckled himself and got out of the car, turning around to push the seat forward for Zad to get out of the two door car.

-.-.-.-

"I still don't get why we couldn't just get back on 71," Maddie said as Danny drove them north on highway 68.

"Please, just believe me," Zad offered.

"Mom, I trust him," Danny tried as he stuck to 45 up the country road. It had only been about ten minutes since they had left the diner and something about the way Zad had asked they take a detour resonated with him enough to add time to their trip. "Look, and there's the sign for 71," Danny added, seeing the sign up ahead.

"Is that just the back up for getting back onto the interstate?" Maddie asked as Danny slowed down to a stop just at the creation of the turn lane. "Turn your blinker on so people behind us know your turning."

Danny did as ordered as the cars in front of him crept forward. They got close enough to see the street going over 71 was clear and asked, "Do you want me to just go straight?"

"No, the accident's just passed the on ramp," Zad informed.

"Accident?" Maddie echoed, looking at the ghost in the back seat.

"This is where I'll leave you," Zad offered, unbuckling themselves. "I pray the rest of your trip goes smoothly. Danny," Zad said, sticking their head between the two seats. "Once you get onto 71, you'll have to get over to the left lane. Just so you're prepared."

"Thanks," Danny said, giving the ghost a side glance as the blonde haired ghost vanished from sight.

The two road through the slow S turn in silence before Maddie asked, "Have you ever seen a ghost like him before?"

Danny shook his head as they made it to the interstate. Every car he could see had their left blinker on, everyone trying to get into the left lane of the two lane interstate. Silently Danny made his way out of the on ramp and, with the help of a friendly driver in a black Ford, got over into the left lane. They slowly made their way up to where a sign on the side of the road advertised R+L Carriers, seeing another Corolla totaled upside down with the nose of an SUV crushed in its side. No emergency vehicles had arrived yet as they drove slowly beside the crash. Danny's eyes lingered on the totaled Corolla when he noticed Zad appearing beside the wreck.

"That couldn've been us," Maddie realized.

"I've heard of guardian angels before, but not a guardian ghost," Danny joked, feeling he could trust Zad to do what they could to help. The traffic started getting back to the speed limit, letting him glance in the rear view mirror to see Zad had vanished but saw someone who looked similar helping the driver of the wrecked Corolla out of what was left of the driver seat.

"Danny, did your ghost sense ever go off?" Maddie asked.

Danny felt a cold chill run down his spine as he realized the truth. He noticed Maddie turn in her seat, looking out the back window as they left the accident behind them. "That was supposed to be us," Danny realized.

"It would've been worst if it had been us," Maddie pointed out, turning back in her seat. "Look at your reaction to the truck. He didn't ask questions but something like that?" She left her question unanswered as Danny knew what she meant.

AN: Zad is short for Zadkiel, grace of God.

Also this story ended up with me doing a lot of riding through google maps, seeing what had changed between now and the oldest pictures they had. Sadly that was in 2007, so I'm hoping a lot didn't change in the year between. This thanksgiving I was supposed to step foot in Ohio for the first time, but work wouldn't let me off because someone asked for it off before I could. Oh well, at least I can ride through google maps.